Svein Lokas, ESA’s launch campaign manager, said, “It was great to see our baby arrive safely and everyone worked efficiently to carefully unload the precious cargo.

Unloading Sentinel-1

“We now look forward to unpacking the satellite and getting it ready for its journey into space in a few weeks’ time.”

Once unloaded from the aircraft, the convoy was escorted through Cayenne to the launch site in Kourou.

Sentinel-1 on Soyuz

Sentinel-1 has been left in its container to stabilise after its long journey. It will soon be moved to the ‘high bay’ for unpacking and testing before joining the Soyuz rocket that will take it into space.

Once in orbit, this new mission will deliver vital information for numerous services, from monitoring ice in the polar oceans to tracking land subsidence.

Moreover, Sentinel-1 is specifically designed for responding rapidly to aid emergencies and disasters such as flooding and earthquakes.

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